Province to hire 150 students this summer

Kelly Regan, Minister responsible for the youth makes an announcement about summer job opportunities for students in the public service. (STAFF)

The Nova Scotia government plans to hire more than 150 students across the province this summer.

More than 80 positions were opened up for applications Friday through the Make it Here website.

The other half will be hired through internships and co-op placements directly with schools, and through students returning to jobs they had last summer.

“For too long, young people from here in Nova Scotia felt they had to leave the province to find jobs,” Kelly Regan, minister responsible for youth, said Friday.

“I want young people, including my own children, to know there are great opportunities here.”

According to Statistics Canada, youth unemployment in Nova Scotia stands at 15 percent, compared to an overall rate of 8.5 percent for the province.

The Make it Here initiative aims to connect young workers with government programs for education, training and entering the workforce. The program also connects employers with supports to hire or train young and less-experienced workers.

The positions are located throughout the province and include a wide variety of jobs from camp counsellors and forest resource workers to an aircraft maintenance engineer.

“Looking back at my time as a summer student, I realize the impact it had on my career,” said Jennifer West, who was part of the summer student program in 2012 and 2013.

“It wasn’t a 10-week job that I wasn’t going to think about again, it was something that got me my career.”

West now has a full-time job as a corporate payroll technician with Service Nova Scotia.

The positions are designed for returning students, enrolled in a Nova Scotia school, whether it be a university, college or high school.

“These positions will springboard them into a successful career,” said Labi Kousoulis, minister of the Nova Scotia public service commission. “The benefits to students will go beyond the summer.”

Kousoulis said when he joined government, every job posting in the public service had two years experience as a requirement. This is no longer the case.

In November, more than 70 public service positions were posted that required little or no experience.

Kousoulis said this initiative isn’t solely for the students, but employers benefit as well.